Celebrating the Life of George Maxwell - Pt.1
April 25th, 2041: Celebrating the Life of George Maxwell - Pt.1 By: The Golden Eagle George Maxwell once said that "friendship is not only important, but is the one thing that can never be truly taxed by the government." We at the Golden Eagle are proud to have been considered by Maxwell as his friends, and owe the existence of our publication to his contributions and encouragement. It seems difficult to accept that, just one month ago, Maxwell's pursuit of liberty for the American public came to a tragic end due to a fatal stroke. Though 86 years old at the time of his death, Maxwell remained as enthusiastic and energetic as he was back when Liberty's Children initially began to take shape during the Vietnam War. In tribute to Maxwell and as our way of saying thank you for his aid in helping our magazine reach a wider audience, we will today begin a series celebrating and documenting the life of Maxwell, his views and his legacy. We want to first thank the many friends and colleagues of Maxwell, all of whom have contributed to this series. Their contributions, in addition to our own from the archives of our publication, will serve to help illustrate the life of one of America's most influential activists. This week, seen for the very first time publicly, we have a letter Maxwell wrote as provided courtesy of Ronald McPherson's family. McPherson was one of the many confederates of Maxwell who helped start Liberty's Children and was invaluable in crafting their influential, if at times controversial, manifesto. A few of its tenets reveal foundational beliefs Liberty's Children initially held which tell that they, unlike their modern day counterparts, believed government was needed to ensure order and justice. We hope this piece of history will encourage readers to join us for subsequent updates and to pick up our commemorative special edition of the entire series which will be made downloadable next month. ------------------------ December 8th, 1978: Dear Ronald, I can't thank you and the others enough for helping me through the long process of finalizing our group's manifesto. You wanted to know if I've thought of a name, well I have. But let's wait until we meet at our usual gathering place and I'll announce it there. It's rather glossy but it's sure to impress you and our potential backers. As before, here are some more points to the manifesto I'd like to add. They're still rough (more like outlines) so let me know what you think. There are five items and they are as follows: Military Intervention: Though being FOR maintaining a standing army, we are AGAINST military intervention within other countries. We believe in matters of warfare, though only when holding to a strict non-interventionist policy. If America is in genuine and immediate peril, we believe that only then it becomes justified to employ the military. If other countries (even our allies) decide to go to war and such conflict does not directly threaten America, they, as sovereign societies, must solve their own problems or seek aid elsewhere. Human Rights: In holding to its belief that all humans are entitled to their natural human rights, their pursuit of happiness and under the guarantees of the Constitution, we hold that all people no matter their creed, age, culture, sexuality or skin color, are entitled to equality, justice and freedom. We oppose any and all efforts to deny people their human rights both with and without the rule of law. General Economic Policy: To ensure a fair and just economic system, we believe a government is necessary though must maintain a low and sometimes non-interventionist stance in regards to the business conducted by its citizens in both the public and private sectors. We also hold that trade between countries should be less constrictive to ensure a speedier process as well as one that focuses on the people's needs and not the government's. Religion: As guaranteed under the first amendment and in upholding its pledge of individual liberty, we believe all American people are entitled to practice freely their religious beliefs. However, we do hold that limits to religious practices are important to maintain, otherwise we run the risk of taking away people's fundamental human rights. As such, we believe that government must maintain a constant separation of Church and State, as the mixture of government and religion often results in a clear-cut division of the population. Drug Policy: We hold that it is unethical and coercive to punish a human being for consuming foods or other substances of their own individual accord. As such, we oppose any efforts by the government in its attempts to prohibit the use of what they deem illegal narcotics. As to its sale, we hold that it should be the government's responsibility to regulate sale, as to prevent the ill-effects of driving products to the black market and to also ensure public safety above all else. That is all the major changes I've made. Please tell the others when you see them to prepare their suggestions and ask them if they have taken me up on my offer to write some possible additions to the manifesto. They should be prepared to discuss such things at our next meeting. And I do understand your concern about my intentions to show support towards open borders both in trade and travel. In fact, taking your advice, I do think it's for the best that, for now, we leave it out. If things go well and we become popular and accepted enough, I intend to make it clear where our support stands. After all, how can we attain free trade and greater freedom as long as we are forced to acknowledge invisible lines on a map? Your friend, George Maxwell Category:December 8, 1978 Category:George Maxwell Category:Liberty's Children